Parallel Log I
by Drachensviel
Summary: Different takes on lore and stories of League of Legends champions.


DATE: 12 JUNE, 19 CLE

Karthus walked towards the doors of the League. His robes were old and tattered, yet they still had an air of elegance about them. The way that he seemed to float instead of walk showed the fact that he is no longer a man of this world. Although his face was dried and old, his eyes shone brightly with blue flame.

A large staff to fit his title of the Lich King, a thick, old spellbook hanging on his belt, he stands tall and proud in front of the doors of the League. Halting in front of the door, Karthus smiled faintly as if he knew what was about to happen. The doors opened as he pointed his staff at them, and he hovers in indifferently. As he enters the chamber, the doors slam shut behind him, and he is introduced to deep deep darkness. In here, his past is revealed.

* * *

It was an overcast summer day at the outlying districts of Noxus. People were going about their everyday business; shopkeepers dusting off their products, soldiers marching up and down the road. Near the edge of the road, there sat a young teen. He was staring intently at a rat on the ground. Its movements were sluggish and dull, and its frail body was shaking. Soon enough, it rolled over, gave one last shiver, and died. The boy continued to look at the dead body of the rat. Two kids were walking by behind him.

"Is he the kid that you were talking about?" one of them asked.

"Yes, don't go near him," the other replied, "he's dismal and ominous. Everyone in this town avoids him."

"Why is he like that? Why doesn't his parents keep him away from the 'normal' people?" the first asked again.

"I don't think his parents are alive," the second replied. "Or at least, they haven't seen him in forever. For as long as I can remember, he was always alone. He's just a nutter who loves corpses."

"Whaaaat?" The first said, shocked and awed. "Se… seriously? Do.. does he even have a name?"

With a sigh, the second replied, "He has a name all right… Karthus, I think it was. A creepy name that suits him, I would add. Come on, let's get going; we'll miss the show."

Karthus haven't moved an inch as the kids were talking behind him. He was still staring at the dead rat. He opened his mouth, and two words leaked out, "Its…. dead."

* * *

Ever since I was young, I would visit the dying, view their deaths and their graves, and judge their worth in life and death. It was a rainy evening, and I was visiting a grave; I have been visiting this one for quite some time. Third year since his death, yet his grave remains untended and visitorless. The gravestone is faded and scratched, making it impossible to read. Who was he? What did he look like when he had a body? What did his…. soul look like? The rain continued to come down in thick sheets. I stared at the gravestone some more. Placing the flower I picked on the way on top of it, I whispered,

"requiescat in pace."

I walked away from the man's grave. I continued to wonder about the man's life. Death is so beautiful, I thought. Agony, ecstasy, than peace. People didn't like my philosophy; they began to fear me, to hate me, they considered me an outcast. I understand them. Who would like or understand a weirdo like me. But I don't care. They don't mean anything to me. My only interest lies within my own world. My curiosity towards the ever-living. Curiosity about mortality. The justice of death. The mystery of souls, why they must leave their shells, to what they journey on beyond life. Things that I possibly cannot imagine in this body.

As I grew older, I began to delve deeper into my curiosity of death and what lies beyond. I would visit the sickly, and watched them die, to try and quench my thirst of knowledge. It did very little, however.

"It…. hurts... " the old man on the bed moaned. "Cough cough... "

I could hear his neck slowly closing in on itself. His pulse was weakening, and his skin was cooling down.

"he'll… die soon." I whispered. "just like… all others."

I had started working with Kindred's reapers when I was 17 in order to watch the dying up close. Even though I have witnessed countless deaths, life and death is still a mystery to me. Why does life have to come to an end? And why do people fear death?

I don't know what made me do it, but when I turned 18 I faked my own funeral. I pretended to have been killed in a carriage crash. I had the entire town tricked; they held a funeral for me. Surprisingly, a lot of people came to mourn my passing. It was a very interesting experience, but I didn't learn anything from it. Afterwards, the townspeople found me walking through the streets again. The rumour began to spread that I had come back from the dead. The townspeople, shocked and horrified, no longer treated me as one of them.

"A being that is alive but dead…" I whispered to myself one night. "Interesting. But curious…. what is the purpose of a body…"

It has been about 3 years since my pseudo-death, and I have settled in the mountains, away from my hometown. I've built a small hut, grew some crops in the small backyard, collected game and mountain crops. Here I could pursue my study of death and beyond undisturbed. No one came to bother me. No one. No one…..

* * *

_Kreek._ went the door when I pushed it open. 'Gotta lubricate that a bit better,' I thought, setting down the small bag of game on the floor. I looked around the space that served as my laboratory and living room. On the shelves, sat glass jars, full of preservative liquid and corpses. It had become my recent hobby to collect and preserve corpses of different animals. I was investigating the face of the living that has accepted 'death', the blank look on a living thing after soul has left its shell. I continued to look about my shelves, looking at different specimen.

'They all seem to have a similar expression,' I thought. 'But why… I need more specime…'

"Wow, what is all this?" I heard a female voice call through the room. I was surprised; no one ever came here, ever. The townspeople feared me, so naturally, they feared my lodging too. They thought it was cursed.

'A human?' I thought, disgruntled that I had forgot my hypothesis from before. 'I wonder who… and why they had come here.'

I peaked around one of the shelves to see who the intruder was. There was a girl poking around my room, looking at my specimen. She looked to be in her late teens, about a couple years under me. Shoulder length brown hair and fair skin, and looked very frail. I continued to stare, dumbfounded, at the first human I've seen in years. I didn't do much but watch as she continued to explore my domain.

"Woah…. There are corpses in here…" She muttered, walking around. I decided to step out from behind the shelf.

"Wh…" I attempted to speak.

"Kyaaaa!" she screamed, clearly startled. There was an awkward silence as we stared at each other. She broke the silence first.

"Um… so someone does live here…" she said, attempting to sound normal. "I thought it was an empty house…"

"T.. th…" I realized that I couldn't speak properly; my voice wasn't working properly due to disuse. I continued to make efforts, however, and managed to speak. "um… why don't you sit down…."

"Even though it's old, the house is pretty big," She commented. We were sitting side by side on a long bench I had. I didn't respond to her statement. I didn't know what to say; I didn't know how to handle another human.

"Um… what's your name? Heh heh…" she asked, trying to release the tension in the air. A simple question, simple response, right?

"Kar…" I started to answer, but I choked up in the middle of it.

"Your name is Kar?" She asked.

"Kar...thus," I managed to choke out.

"Eh… that's a creepy name," she said. "Just like your face. Hahahahah!" She continued to observe me.

"It looks like your hair is longer than mine," she observed. "And you have dark circles under your eyes."

I didn't respond. I didn't know how to respond to this. Sensing the tension build again, she continued to talk.

"I got bored so I decided to poke around in the mountains," She said. "When I saw this house I thought a ghost or something would pop out but…"

"I don't talk with the living," I said, finally coming with a response. "Begone."

"Heh, did I upset you?" She asked, looking ecstatic at the fact that I responded. "It was a joke, don't let it upset you. And you are living too, so I'm not leaving." She completed it by sticking her tongue out at me.

I could feel my patience wearing thin. I don't like this girl. Too talkative. Too bright. Too _alive. _I needed to get rid of her.

"It seems that you don't know who I am," I started, satisfied to see the little grin disappear from her face. "I am the scholar who studies death. I am known as a cursed being in the town, and people act like as if I am dead. You have nothing advantageous to gain by staying with me. People might treat you the same if they know that you hang out with me. I hope you won't approach the mountain with my house from now on." I completed, impressed with myself that I could speak that long without choking up. The girl stayed silent for some time.

"So you're that kind of a person…" She said. Heh, I laughed in my head. It worked. I can now go back to my own world. Now let's get her out of here…

"So given that fact, if you will please excuse yourself…" I started.

"Huh?" She interrupted me. " What do you mean excuse myself? What you said, it's very interesting! It makes me even more curious!"

I just stared at her, confusion evident on my face. Does she not listen to what other people say?

"So if you are dead, I am talking to someone that doesn't exist right?" She continued, unfazed. "Talking to someone that only I can see. So it's a friend that only I can see! That's great!"

…..Friend? This was the first time anyone has called me a friend. First time in my life. I thought about that fact for a moment. A friend…. sounded nice. It made me feel… different.

"... Wh… what is your name?" I decided to ask.

"Heh, took you long enough to ask," She said with a smirk. "Elise. That's my name."

* * *

It's been awhile since Elise had found my private recluse. She came to visit me more often, and we spent some time together. She liked to look at my research collections. One day I was doing some testing on mice, and Elise came up to me with a box full of white shards.

"What's in this box?" She asked. "And please don't tell me it's human bones…"

"Why would you even think that…" I replied. "They're just crushed rabbit skull I collected for my research…"

"What is this research of yours…" She said, picking up a bone fragment. "I still don't understand what you are trying to do."

"Then don't come anymore," I said, looking through my files. "I didn't ask you to be here."

"Nope!" She said, and continued to examine the skull fragments.

This girl, Elise, apparently was a daughter of a well-known rich merchant in town. She was an extremely curious individual, liked extraordinary things, so she wasn't fazed at all by corpses. It's been some time since we spent time together, and I learned some things about her. She had no friends, just like me, because she had some sort of a disease. She was forced to stay inside all the time, so she couldn't meet anyone. Although I was a different case. And nowadays, she sneaks out at to visit me more and more often.

It was late in the evening, and I was examining a piece of bone with a magnifying glass. I was trying to log the different shapes in bone structure and how they relate to a creature's mortality.

Knock Knock, went my door, and I sighed, put the magnifying glass down, and went to open the door, knowing who was behind it.

"Surprise, surprise~" Elise said, with a basket in her hands. "I thought you would be lonely so I came to see you! What are you doing?"

With a sigh, I replied, "I was doing some more research… until I was interrupted."

"Pshh," Elise stuck her tongue out at me. "I know you're happy to see me. I brought you food." She said, shaking the basket.

"Well, since I was already interrupted… Sit down, I suppose." I said, moving the miscellaneous things off my desk.

With a smile, she set the basket down on my desk. Humming, she began to set its contents on my desk. I saw a couple drinks, a plate of fruits, and couple of sandwiches.

"Did you make these?" I asked, impressed. "They look good."

"Of course not," She said, with a small giggle. "The maid made them. I just brought some leftovers. Why, you don't want them?"

"No…. There's nothing wrong with them," I said, picking up a sandwich and taking a bite. "I thought you weren't feeling well… are you sure you can be here?"

"Hmm? Who cares? I'm just gonna throw all these in the trash then." She replied, taking a sip of the drink.

"I'm sorry." I quickly replied, taking another bite. She began coughing, catching my attention.

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned by the pained expression on her face.

"Don't worry," Elise replied. "I just swallowed it the wrong wa… ECK!" She screamed, coughing up blood.

"Are you quite sure you are all right?!" I asked, jumping up. She just lay sprawled on the table, groaning. I didn't know if she was joking or not, because I didn't know how serious her illness was. She never told me about it.

"Ugh… can you take me home…" She choked out, and I obliged. I was glad that it was night; the townspeople would be asleep so no one would see me. If they did, it wouldn't amount to anything good for me nor Elise. The whole way to her house, I wondered what her illness was, and if it was something I could cure.

* * *

Couple of weeks passed since Elise's last visit, and many things changed. First of all, I cleaned my house, and I kept it clean. Second, I started to tend a flower garden, complete with a swing chair, outside my house. I wanted a bit of a brighter feel in the house for her. Eventually, she came back again. It was in the evening, and the sun was starting to set. She looked a bit healthier than last time. I was glad to see her; I was starting to feel a bit empty without her.

"Missed me?" She asked with a smirk.

"No," I lied. I didn't want to seem mortal. However, she just laughed, as if she knew I was lying. She looked around the house, impressed that I had managed to keep it clean. I blushed as she hugged me when she saw the garden. She had told me that she always wanted to sit in a swing chair and watch the sunset in a garden. I left her on the swing chair, went inside, and brought out some drinks. As we sat there sipping, she opened her mouth.

"Karthus, I have a question. Why do you live out here?" Elise asked. I didn't know how to answer her. I just sat there, looking out into the falling sun, sipping my drink. Finally, with difficulty, I opened my mouth.

"People in the town fear me," I started. "They're scared of me. They think I'm cursed. They think that they'll receive a curse by being near me. So I moved up here, where I can continue my research about death. Don't you think the same as the townspeople? That I'm cursed? Dangerous?" I don't know what made me ask her. It just came over me, and I wanted to know what she thought of me.

"As I said, I have a fantasy and devotion towards death," I continued. "I am doing research on what happens to a soul after it leaves a shell, and how it leaves its shell. So I ask again, why are you not scared or disturbed by me?"

"Hmmm…. scared... " She started. "Well, I was scared for sure when I first met you. You were looking at corpses with dead eyes. It did disturb me for some time. I thought you were some sort of an undead."

"Well, of course I did, I'm known to be de…." I tried to reply, but was cut off by Elise.

"Damn your talks of being dead!" She screamed at me. "Aren't you tired of saying that you're dead? If you want to be dead that badly, why don't you just hang yourself right now?"

"Not yet, I can't… I'm not ready…." I said, somewhat scared. I never saw Elise angry before.

"That's just an excuse. It's not like you have OCD, why are you trying to hasten your death?" She continued, somewhat more calmly. "Have you ever thought that your easygoing thoughts disturbs the rest of the souls?"

I just stared blankly back at her. I couldn't understand what she was saying. Me? Disturb the rest of souls with my easygoing thought? She had to be joking. I devoted my whole life to study death. How could I possibly disturb the rest of souls?

Elise just sighed. "Here, let's take an example." A butterfly fluttered by the marigolds. It landed on a flower to gather some nectar. Elise stared at it for about a minute, and opened her mouth.

"You know that in order to become a butterfly, a larvae must go through the metamorphosis phase in a cocoon right?" She started. "Figuratively, this body we live in, is the cocoon for our souls, which is the larvae. To become a butterfly, a larvae needs lots of patience. There's nothing good to be gained from impatience. Acting rashly will not amount to anything positive. If you forcibly open a cocoon before it splits open by itself, a butterfly will not come out; rather, it dies, pretty horribly. You understand me Karthus?" She paused for a moment, looking away from the butterfly and looking into my eyes. I nodded, hanging on to her every word.

"Humans should be the same," She continued after a sip of her drink. "Many feelings, many experiences, many memories. The soul experiences all these, and leaves when it is ready. So don't be rash. We're inexperienced. So let us carefully get ready for our time, building up memories and experiences. Then the spirit that is born from the experiences will be perfect, tempered in our experiences." I stared back at her. It was perfect. How she spoke, what she described, answered all my questions and how I should prepare for death. She was the only one that understood me.

"Yes, that's it," She said, looking at my eyes. "That expression. In those eyes, a butterfly rests, waiting for its time." She smiled.

* * *

Recently, I've been spending a lot more time with her. She's been coming to visit me almost every day. Today, she came by around noon, and she had brought a old book with her. It was a pretty large spellbook.

"What is this?" I asked Elise, flipping through the book. "The word choices are very poetic. Was it written by a bard?"

"No," Elise answered. "It's a spellbook; I snuck it out of my father's private library." I stared at her in disbelief. She raided her father's private library? I gave a small chuckle, shaking my head, and went back to flipping through the spellbook. As I was looking through, I came upon a page. There were couple of pages filled with sheet music.

"What are these sheet music in the middle of the page?" I asked Elise, filled with curiosity. "Is it a song that the author composed himself?" Hearing my question, Elise looked over my shoulder at the spellbook.

"That's the song from the legend!" She said excitedly. "It's called Requiem. The legend says that a soul enters the world of immortality while having the Requiem sung." I thought about it for a second. She has once again provided one of the answers to countless questions I had about death.

"Huh, intriguing…" I said, looking at the sheet music once again. "But what's a Requiem….?" I asked, a bit abashed. Truthfully, I haven't done much reading on different funeral procedures. Elise gave me the I-just-cannot-believe-you-just-said-that look.

"You of all people should know what a Requiem is," She said with a sigh. "Requiem, the song for the dead. It is sung so the soul can reach the land of immortality. I thought you would know it; it just for creepy people like you Karthus!" She added on, with a small giggle.

"Nope," I shot back. "Not interested in music."

"Well, practice singing it!" She said. "And sing it for me later!"

"Please listen when someone says something…" I told her with a resigned expression on my face.

"Well, you're tone deaf, lack basic knowledge, and you probably can't keep time too!" She told me, with a feigned tone of anger. "You'll never be able to something like this because you're so creepy!"

"A… all right!" I said, slightly taken aback by her outburst. "I'll practice it, okay? And stop calling me creepy, it's pretty upsetting." Smiling, she leaned against my shoulder. I flinched.

"Heh, I knew you would do it," She said, closing her eyes. "Make sure you memorize it too; it shouldn't be that difficult."

"Wa…. I… I'm only doing it for my research…" I stammered out. I was blushing; I never had someone be so tender towards me.

"Ah, I'm tired," Elise said, "I'm going to take a nap…"

"I.. if you're going to sleep, sleep on th… the bed…" I stammered out. However, as I got used to her leaning on me, I realized that something was wrong. Her body felt extremely hot, and she was shaking.

Worried, I said, "Elise, are you alright? You're shivering, and your body feels like a furnace…"

"Huh…?" She stammered, trying but failing to look calm. "I… It's nothing! Have you ever seen me sick? Nope, I'm always healthy!"

"Your face feels like a fireball. Come," I said, picking her up in bridal carry. "Let's get you to my bed."

"Kyaaa!" She screamed, blushing. "Pu… put me down!" Ignoring her, I put her on my bed. I tucked her in, and sat by the side. She glared at me.  
"Just rest up a bit," I said, "If you're not sick. You seem really tired." She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep. I looked at her sleeping form, and the way her cheeks were turning red from the fever. She was lying about not being sick; I was sure of it. I gently picked her up, making sure to not wake her. It was only noon, but I made my way towards the village, to her house.

"Urgh!" I screamed as another foot landed on my ribs. I flew backwards and hit the wall, then slid to the floor. I wiped the blood from my mouth with my sleeve.

Damn that hurt…. I glared at the townspeople gathered around me. One of them stepped forward.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said, his gaze more venomous than a snakes. "You jinxing bastard…"

"Screw off this house," Another one said, a dagger in hand. "The mansion of the Araneds' is not a place for the likes of you."

I heard people murmuring behind them. _It has to be him, he cursed Miss Araned…. That's why she cannot be cured…. A curse that's so strong that it cannot be cured?_...

The first man spoke. "We're letting you off easy this time. Never come back again."

"What if something really bad happens?" Someone called out from the crowd.

The guy with the knife grinned. "Then we just kill him. Simple as that." They all began to walk away. I lay on the ground for a few more minutes, recovering. In my point of view, they were more like human trash then they claimed me to be. Ganging up and beating me just for standing in front of a house… Heh, I didn't know Elise was someone of that high position. I guess they don't know that we meet secretly. But what did they mean by a curse and an incurable disease? Who truly was she?

* * *

It's been a couple days since I had been beaten by the townspeople. I had just been doing some more research, gathering more samples. It was late at night, and I heard another knock on the door. I opened it; I already knew who was on the other side.

"Holy mother of Runeterra!" She exclaimed when I opened the door. "What happened to your face?" I had not wrapped it up; I was too caught up in my research to clean it up and bandage it. Elise ran off to grab my first aid kit. She took out an alcohol swab and began to clean my wounds.

"Ow!" I screamed, pulling away. "It stings!"

"Hold still!" Elise scolded. "I have to clean it before I can wrap it up!" I sat silently, wincing from time to time, as she cleaned and bandaged all my wounds. "How did you get all these wounds? Did the people hit you for being in front of my house?"

"Of course," I answered. "It's because the townspeople think I'm cursed. They want to kill me just for being near the village. However, Elise I heard some rumours about you…" Elise stiffened. Her voice quavering, she spoke.

"And what may those rumours be…?"

"I heard that you were terminally ill. Is that true?" I asked. She didn't answer. "Hmm?" I pressed on. Elise look away.

"Wh… what are you saying?" She tried to lie. "Th… that's absurd!"

"Elise, did I ever tell you?" I looked into her eyes. "You're a really really bad liar. Why are you trying hide it? I heard that you have to take medicine every day, so you can't leave the house. I heard it when I suck into town a couple days back. I also heard that your illness got worse because you haven't took the medicine in a while. Why? It's a matter of life and death. So wh-"

"Stop." She abruptly cut me off. "I get it. Just stop for a bit. I didn't tell you because…. well, you wouldn't let me come here if you knew I was ill." She sighed. I just stared at her. She continued to talk.

"I don't know what kind of illness it is. I'm just frail, and feel really weak. Sometimes I even faint. I have to constantly eat medicine. It's not like the medicine does anything. It just… forces me from dying, I guess. My family has tried everything; doctors, shamans, but none worked. I guess I'm just destined to grow weaker by day and die. When I took the medicine, I would become drowsy, and the day would fly by. I almost thought that I was dead. That's how meaningless my life was." Elise had tears streaming down her face. She didn't stop. "People would look upon my family mansion in awe, but to me it was nothing but a birdcage, a prison. So I left in secret, to see the world. I have never seen this many people, so I was afraid. I've always read in books that handsome wizards live in mountains, so I headed there."

She stopped for a minute. She wiped away her tears and smiled. "Then I met one. You, Karthus. And another fact is, is that I stopped taking the medicine ever since I met you. The Elise you see in front of you, is the real me."

What she said is true. Her medicine, and how it forcibly extends her life, is an act of deceiving true death. She saw contradictions between her actions and the philosophy she realized when she met me. It's my fault. It's all my fault.

"What…" I muttered. "What am I to do now…"

"It's fine," Elise said with a melancholy smile. "You're not gonna let me come anymore, aren't you Karthus? Because you're kind. Thoughtful."

"I'm sorry…" I stammered.

"It should be me that's sorry." Elise said, walking towards the exit. She put her shoes on, opened the door, and stepped through. "Thank you for… everything." She walked away without looking back.

* * *

5th day since Elise left me. She never came back, and I haven't done anything. All I did was to use the restroom. I haven't eaten nor drank. I couldn't even do any research. I couldn't focus. I never thought that… life without her would be this hard. I failed to realize that, by opening myself up to another human would mean that I also open myself up to a world of pain.

"... her condition is getting worse," The doctor said. "She's not going to have much time left. A year or two, naturally. Up to 10 years if she continues to take the medicine." Madame Araned burst into tears.

"We don't even have a son… and now our daughter is dying…" She sobbed. Her husband gently pat her back. "Who… who will lead this house..?"

"Do not be sorrowful," Mr. Araned said, trying to calm his wife. "There is a way, I am sure of it."

Elise sat on her bed listening to the adults talk outside. She caught whispers of _a new cure… breakthrough in Zaun…_ She sighed internally.

'So I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life on this bed huh…' She thought. '10, blasted, miserable years…' She fell backwards onto her bed. She thought about the couple months she spent outside, her time with Karthus. How she felt… free. 'Maybe if I just spent the rest of my life outside…'

I walked through the town carefully, soundlessly. It was a cloudy night. I looked up at the dark clouds as a rumble echoed through them. I smirked. _It should be easier in the rain, _I thought. I quickly made my way to Elise's mansion, and stealthily made my way over the wall. I stalked through the garden, recalling Elise's description.

'When I look out my room,' She had told me. 'I can see my rosebush, a fountain, and a part of the gate. I really can't see anything beyond that.' I quickly scanned the garden. I located the gate, and from there I found the window of her room. I looked in, and saw Elise sleeping on her bed. I knocked on the window. She didn't stir. I knocked a bit harder. I saw her stir, and sit up. She looked at the window.

"The winds seem to be strong tonight…." She muttered, looking out. I saw her stiffen as she saw me. She ran towards the window and threw it open.

"Evening, Elise," I said, trying to sound smooth.

"Kar… Karthus…?" She stammered, completely flabbergasted. "How… how are you here? This is the second floor!"

"?" I looked back at her. "This is the first floor Elise…" She gave me a sheepish grin.

"I always wanted to say that," She said. "However… you somehow got in here… how?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I must've been lucky today. I made it inside your mansion. How was your few days being back here?"

She gave me a small smile. "Bearable."

I shuffled my feet. "You know, I always thought that I could live this world on my own. And I did, for 18 and a half years. But I met you. And I understood, that because we are humans, we are weak. Fragile. We will eventually shatter. I didn't realize; I searched for the truth on my own, oblivious to the fact that I was slowly shattering. The time I spent with you changed who I am." I stopped for breath. "The long time you have spent and will spend in this room, or the short time you have spent with me. Which do you prefer?"

"I…." Elise tried to answer, her voice quavering.

"I'll keep this brief," I said, looking at her in the eye. "Let's leave this place, together." Elise looked at me for a good minute. Tears began to leak out of her eyes. She smiled, brighter than the morning star.

"You're pretty romantic, you know that, Karthus?" She said.

"Of course," I replied, smiling.

I don't remember much after that. We waited until the night was fuller, than we left for another town. A place where no one knew who we were. A place where there were no restrictions for us. A place where we could be _free._ That time we spent was the best moment of our lives.

* * *

Elise lived longer than everyone's expectations. We lived together for about 2 years, 2 months, and 17 days. We've done many activities throughout those time; enough to mature our souls.

Elise lay on a bed in the house we rented. She's very tired now. She stays in bed most of the time. I lightly take her hand. Her breathing is shallow, and her hands are a bit cooler than I remember. There's no point denying this fact anymore. She will soon… die. Definitely. This is the first time I feel pain and sorrow towards someone's death. I've seen hundreds, maybe even thousands of corpses, but I do not know if I can endure this pain. The vacuity that I will feel will certainly drive me to insanity. I cannot do this. I softly call out her name.

"Elise?" Her eyes remain closed. She does not stir. "E… Elise?!" I call out again, a bit more frantically. I can't have her leave me. Thankfully, Elise opens her eyes, and looks at me.

"Ah…" She whispers out. "I… I must have fallen asleep…" I fiddled my thumbs together. Finally I spoke up.

"Um… How about we go back to town? Of course, we can go back, and get your illness cured. And… and… right! We have to finish our research, and…. um… I… it's not too late! We… we can go,"

"Why?" She cut me off. "Why are you saying that Karthus?"

"Ah… hahaha…" I vacuously laughed. "Right…. right… why am I saying that…" I lost my rationality. Even my persona was nothing but a mask when faced with death. I grit my teeth. I can't look frail. I cannot fear death, when I have embraced it all my life. I dragged my sanity back into my own hands. I stood by the bed, holding Elise's hand, looking at her. We stayed like that for some time. Finally, I spoke.

"Elise, are you happy? That it all ends like this."

"Somewhat," She whispered back. "I found the meaning of life with you, and I already told you. I'm not going to defy death any furth…" Her voice cut out.

"Yes," I quickly intervened so that she would not overstrain herself. However, she went on.

"And our research is completed, Karthus. Remember? The land of immortality. The truth will be there…" I looked at her. It was true. During our years on the run, we found it. Elise and I found the land. The mysterious land where no living can come back out once they enter. But… I wanted to enter the island _with _her. Not alone. All I wanted was to be with her forever. However, humans are pitiful creatures because they cannot be together forever. We've both realized. That the body is what stays with the soul until it matures; the soul leaves its body, its shell and its protector, and moves on. That was the purpose of the body.

I continued to stroke her hand, which was cooling off. I recognized the signs of passing that I have seen in so many others. I look away from her for a second to keep myself from crying. My eyes land on the spellbook she brought me before. I suddenly remember about Requiem, the song she asked me to memorize and sing for her. How I never sang it for her. I guess… it would be our parting gift. I pick up the old spellbook, and carefully turn to the marked page.

"Remember Elise?" I ask, looking at the book. "2 years ago. The Requiem I promised you. I want to sing it for you. Right now." She sat up surprised, but then gave me a big smile.

"About time, you big oaf!" She exclaimed, energy suddenly returning to her. She lay back down onto the bed. "Then… mm… I'll listen to it with my eyes closed. If it's really bad I'm just going to go back to sleep, all right?"

"Of course," I said, smiling at her. I clear my throat, and slowly began to sing.

_Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine_

It was a vocal pitch that I wasn't familiar with, so my tone and my voice was horrible.

_et lux perpetua luceat eis_

If it sounds like this I think it'll be better for me to just scream the song. I continue to sing, unfazed by these facts. So that I might reach closer to her heart.

_To decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,_

Because it is the first and last Requiem I'll ever sing to her. I see a slight smile spreading across her face.

_et tibi reddetur votum in Runteria_

The sound of the Requiem echo throughout the room. Tears start to form in my eyes.

_Exaudi orationem meam;_

_Plop, plop._ The tears stream off my face and land on the spellbook. I don't stop. I continue to sing on.

_ad te omnis caro veniet._

The song comes to a close, and Elise lay on the bed, peacefully sleeping. Sleeping. 'She' will sleep on to eternity. I close my spellbook, trapping all the tears inside. I bend down, and kiss her lips. They were still warm.

"Goodnight," I whisper. Tears start to fall from my face. I couldn't stop them. They fell, thick and fast, onto Elise's body, which will sleep forever. "ARGHHHHHHH!" I scream. Long and loud, as I let my human emotions take over me. After a couple of minutes, I calm down. I solemnly took in her death. The first time death pains me. I don't stop the tears, and they do not seem to want to stop either. They keep falling. Falling.

_Splash._ The seashore went as I stepped off the boat. I picked up the coffin from the inside, and let the boat drift back out into the ocean. I look inland. The treeline I can see is obscured by a thick sheet of fog.

"It's here," I whispered. "Destination of our research. The land of eternity. Shadow Isles…" I looked up at the trees again, and walked inland. The mist seemed to reach out to me, to try and pull me in.

"A land where mortals cannot return from..." I muttered again. "We'll be here together Elise. Forever. I will… free your soul… once and for all…" The wind blew strong, forcing me to stop. The fog swirled around me, then blew up and away, revealing a path leading to an altar deep inside the forest, as if almost welcoming me. As I set off towards the altar, I now realize that this place is truly my home.

* * *

"Karthus," The voice of a summoner echoed through the hall. "Wake up now, please," Karthus stirred. His eyes once again took on the blue flame, and he looked around.

"Have I… returned?" His old, raspy voice echoed out.

"All that has left was your mind." The summoner's voice answered.

"So I was just played with by you," He said, anger evident in his voice. The summoner seemed unfazed by this, and continued on.

"You have seen your past," He said. "What have you seen?" Karthus stared at the large spellbook hanging on his belt. It's pages, upon closer inspection, seemed to have been wet and had dried wrinkled, a long time ago.

"Saw…" Karthus mused. "If I saw, I saw a small precious memory…"

"Then," Summoner stated. "I ask of you, Lich king. Why do you want to join the league?"

"Why…?" Karthus asked back. He took up his staff, and pointed it in front of him. "Listen, mortals. I have come here to sing my Requiem to all those poor souls that do not know the peaceful embrace of death."

* * *

**A/N: HEY GUYS I'M ALIVE. So yes, here is the story I promised you. Sorry for leaving you guys for a long long time; I was extremely busy (I was most definitely not playing league) Anyways, since college apps are all turned in, I once again found the time to write. To jog my memory, I read through the previous parallel log. I really didn't like how it was coming out, and I saw many holes in the plot, so I decided to do over. Don't worry, the original parallel logs will be uploaded next in two parts. So stay tuned for that. Until then, peace! Oh, and please fave/follow and review, it helps me a ton. Now, really, goodbye!**


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